“Treescraper” Community is an Urban Forest Oasis

“Treescraper” Community is an Urban Forest Oasis

A Holland architecture firm has proposed a high-density community of buildings covered in greenery that would function off-the-grid.

“OAS1S” is a proposal for a community of “treescrapers” that would create a forest of buildings in an urban setting “where people and nature truly become 1.” The alternative concept is aimed at improving the urban environment, and was designed using cradle-to-cradle principles.

The community would consist of a maximum of 100 units per 2.47 acres, but structures could be single family, multifamily, leisure, or even commercial units. Each unit would be four stories high, with 1,722 sq. ft. of livable space.

The unique design of OAS1S communities is based upon the attractive and timeless qualities of forests. The forest-like communities mix trees with tree-like units in an organic and public, compact and car-free lay-out.

Each treescraper would be constructed with prefabricated recyclable timber, fitted with a solar array and battery array to store surplus electricity, and would include a grey water recycling system and rainwater collection system in order to function completely off-the-grid. Fitting to the “treescraper” name, the facade of each building is shrouded with shrubbery and feature green roofs.

The livable space of a treescraper home could consist of three bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room, dining room, utility and storage rooms, and a deck, although the structures are customizable. The fourth floor of the structure is most impressive, and would feature a fenced balcony with a glass-bottomed hall.

The community would not include parking for personal vehicles, but would provide parking areas for residents on the fringe of the community. Although OAS1S is still in early planning stages, the firm hopes to offer units in the community as affordable housing, and to operate as a Community Land Trust that would split land and home ownership cost to make green investments more affordable.

Learn more about the project on the OAS1S website, and see additional renderings and floor plans for single-family, multifamily, and commercial structures in our slideshow.